On May 10, 2025, in response to India’s wanton and unjustified aggression, Pakistan achieved a resounding victory – not only blunting India’s attack but shattering its long-touted myth of conventional military superiority.
So profound was India’s trauma as it counted the wreckage of its vaunted Rafales that it still refuses to acknowledge its humiliation – a humiliation the rest of the world witnessed and has already moved on from.
Between May 7 and May 10, as is widely acknowledged now, Pakistan shot down at least six Indian jets, including three Rafales, and destroyed dozens of drones – all without losing a single aircraft. It neutralised India’s S-400 air defence system and is said to have crippled two airbases, and struck several more deep within Indian territory.
Though India’s attacks martyred 40 civilians and 11 soldiers, Pakistan’s home front remained resilient; life continued almost as normal. The message was clear: Pakistan had decisively dispelled the myth of Indian regional dominance. As precision strikes left India’s airbases battered, New Delhi quietly sought a peace broker.
To underscore the scale of the reversal: Dassault Aviation, manufacturer of the Rafale, saw its stock tumble by seven per cent, and scrambled to blame “pilot error” rather than its prized jets. Meanwhile, China’s usually restrained official channels brimmed with pride, hailing Pakistan’s performance as a testament to Sino-Pak defence cooperation. The global defence market took notice – and Chinese fighter jets suddenly became hot property.
Indeed, the seven per cent fall in Dassault’s shares and the corresponding eight per cent rise in Chinese defence firms marked a symbolic shift. Pakistan didn’t just win a battle; it helped demolish the lingering myth of ‘inferior Chinese technology’.
While the military triumph was delectable, it was just the appetizer to a seven course gourmet meal. The true victory lay in Pakistan’s redefined global standing – a renewal of confidence, credibility and diplomatic respect.
Within months of Pahalgam, Pakistan concluded a strategic cooperation pact with Saudi Arabia, played a mediating role in the Gaza ceasefire, and impressed a respect for its borders on Afghanistan. These actions reflected a confident Pakistan, newly recognised as a responsible, stabilising force in South Asia.
The diplomatic shift has been unmistakable: Washington’s tone changed. US President Donald Trump publicly claimed credit for averting “a bad nuclear war”, yet it was Pakistan that emerged as the adult in the room. US-Pakistan relations reached unprecedented warmth, with the White House praising Pakistan’s leadership as principled and visionary – a stark reversal from the suspicion of earlier decades.
Trade followed diplomacy. Washington halved tariffs on Pakistani textiles and surgical goods while doubling Indian import duties amid rising US-India tensions over Russian oil and trade imbalances. China and Pakistan deepened defence and industrial cooperation, propelling the J-10C and JF-17 Block 4 into global export contention.
That Pakistan simultaneously strengthened ties with Washington, Beijing, Saudi and Iran, putative antagonists all, in today’s polarised geopolitical climate, was nothing short of extraordinary.
Even more remarkable, both Saudi Arabia and Iran praised Pakistan’s “measured restraint.” Iran’s commendation, following US strikes on its nuclear sites, reflected Islamabad’s delicate yet deft diplomacy. Turkey and Azerbaijan lauded Pakistan’s military discipline, while Gulf countries all appreciated Pakistan’s stabilising role.
At the announcement of the Gaza ceasefire in Egypt, President Trump offered Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif the podium – a symbolic gesture of respect seldom extended. The PM’s composed words of appreciation, in turn, signaled Pakistan’s confidence and maturity on the world stage.
The result: Pakistan’s dignity was elevated, its global image rejuvenated while India, once the darling of Western capitals, found itself increasingly isolated and defensive.
Evidence that this time was different began emerging right after the Pahalgam incident of April 22, 2025 – a terror attack that killed dozens of Indians. Right away, without evidence and consistent with its established pattern, India blamed Pakistan.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s response was a study in calm leadership: he condemned the attack, offered cooperation in investigations and urged restraint – all while ensuring Pakistan’s defence preparedness.
In keeping with constitutional propriety, the PM briefed the president and parliament (including the opposition) through proper channels. The unity and transparency of government, military and opposition stood in striking contrast to India’s opacity, where citizens learned of the ceasefire from a Trump tweet.
The resulting victory was no accident of fate. The outcome reflected competent leadership, strategic foresight and civil–military harmony operating within clearly defined roles.
Pakistan’s institutions worked in concert. The prime minister led and provided steady direction; the president advised with calm temperance; the military executed with unmatched professionalism; and parliament was well-informed and stayed united.
After the victory, no triumphalism, no power plays – just quiet confidence and discipline. The response was unequivocal. Global media – from The Economist to Al Jazeera – began describing the country as “resilient Pakistan” and celebrating “Islamabad’s moment”.
Amidst the euphoria of victory, there is a valuable lesson to be learnt.
Too often, Pakistanis view politics through the narrow lens of heroes and villains, saints and sinners. We are quick to condemn, slow to appreciate. Partisan, cult-of-personality politics seem to define our thinking and opinions. The same institutions, acting true to type, are lauded as saviours or denigrated as traitors, depending on their posture towards the party we favour. Yet, victories like these ought to compel a more honest reckoning.
Could Pakistan have achieved such a decisive military and diplomatic triumph without a steady and responsible prime minister, a disciplined and professional army chief, or a head of state providing stability and continuity? The answer, plainly, is no.
This moment ought to remind us that despite the hurdles, there is hope. Not everything is broken, nor is every leader (except our erstwhile hero) compromised. The Pakistan emerging today – cautious yet confident, struggling yet aspiring – is not the Pakistan of yesterday.
Progress may be slow, uneven and imperfect, but it is real and Pakistanis ought to be able to applaud it regardless of who delivered it. Here's hoping that the true measure of this victory lies not in India’s six-love humiliation but in Pakistan’s rediscovering its sense of self.
Of the many defining moments that memorable week, for me the proudest moment was when our prime minister, having led the nation through a perilous crisis and emerging victorious, addressed India directly. Speaking for the nation, he said: “Score settled. Ready for both peace and war. Choice is yours”.
If that didn’t give you goosebumps, nothing ever will.
The writer is a member of the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit (PMDU) and former McKinsey Pakistan managing director.
